Blue Flag, the United States Air Force exercise used to train its forces at the operational level of war, marked its 40th anniversary this year. The Airmen from the 505th Combat Training Squadron created and control the virtual world exercise that builds teamwork between the air operation centers and Air Force forces staff as they execute the war and relief operation scenarios presented to them. Throughout the past four decades, Blue Flag has played an integral role in preparing commands for conflicts such as the Gulf War and Operation Desert Shield.
The 505th Combat Training Squadron operates Blue Flag at Hurlburt Field in Florida and aims to have every numbered Air Force participate in the exercise every two years. The 505th CTS launches a scenario for the participants and also gives them the ability drive the objectives and present wide variety of challenges at any point during the exercise.
“We can exercise a humanitarian operation all the way to a transition from phase I to phase II major theater war,” 505 TRG Commander Colonel Jeffrey Burdett says.
“As technology evolves, we’re going to evolve,” said Blue Flag Senior Controller Steven Walsh. “Every time the Air Force gets something new we’ll have to figure out a way to present it and fly it correctly so that people get trained on all of the new capabilities, we have to stay abreast of that.”
“We’re going nowhere but up,” he added.
Learn more about Blue Flag below:
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